At this year's Calgary Police Rodeo, a newly established local organization, Jansen Ranch Rescue, saw its rescue horses used as bucking stock.
Jansen Ranch Rescue, founded earlier this year, has been dedicated to rescuing horses throughout the winter season.
Co-founder of Jensen Ranch Rescue Kendra Watt said, “Sometimes it’s just people that have a horse that they can't take care of anymore, so they call us. Sometimes there's horses that are found that don't have an owner, and the RCMP will call us, or Protective Services of the nation, so they come from all over.”
When Watt and her team recently got called to do a huge local rescue, they were stumped on what to do with all of the horses they got. And since they knew they had to figure something out, they took a shot and decided to contact Ty Northcott with Northcott Rodeo to see if he would take some of them.
“With rescue horses, it's really hard to rehome them because we don't know their history,” said Watt, “We don't know how wild they are, how quiet they are. So, the fact that he agreed to take a bunch of them and try them out as rodeo stock is really awesome because it got them into a new home.”
After agreeing to take them on, the horses rescued by Jansen Ranch Rescue ended up with Northcott Rodeo. Coincidentally, Northcott Rodeo also happened to be the stock contractors for the Police Rodeo’s bucking stock. This led to these rescued horses being used in the 2024 Calgary Police Rodeo right here in Cochrane.
Watt said that this means that these horses now belong to the Northcott Rodeo Stock contractor, and going forward these rescue horses will now have a new job as official rodeo bucking horses.
“And then when they're longer good for bucking or they don't buck as hard, then they just get to live their life,” said Watt, “And we know that they will never be without food, water, and shelter. And they're in a safe place.”
If you have or know about any horses in Cochrane and surrounding areas that need a new home, or are curious to learn more about horse rescuing, you can contact [email protected], or visit their website at www.jensenranchrescue.ca.
